Many Hanoians had a chance to admire a flock of 12 beautiful swans roaming on Hoan Kiem Lake, also known as the Sword Lake, in the capital city early this week. Now, however, all the birds are no longer there, as the tentative plan to beautify the scenery has been shelved due to strong criticism.

Auto makers and traders have since late last year prepared themselves for a booming 2018, while consumers have dreamed and patiently waited for the right time in the New Year to buy a car at a much lower price as the tariff was due to plunge to zero from the previous 30% for autos imported from ASEAN countries. The preparations are in vain, and the dreams are shattered, as new policies have changed the market upside down, stonewalling all channels. And the brake is firmly on.

By turning down a Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) proposal to halt the airport entry/fee collection from automobiles, the Ministry of Transport has drawn fire from the public. For years, many questions have been raised over the purpose of the fee at airports across the country, with millions of passengers, drivers and transport firms having their pockets picked. Foreigners who come to the country for the first time do not understand why they are subject to the airport entry/exit fee aside from an airport charge which is included in air ticket prices. Some of them even refuse to pay it.

A painful answer is finally given to the question over the ever-rising State budget for regular expenses and the shrinking appropriations for growth: the overstaffed State machinery. The State Audit Office of Vietnam, in a conference this Monday, announced its findings: the number of redundant public servants in the State apparatus is 57,175. Such a huge number is calculated based on the regulatory staffing policies for the State machinery, although it is widely agreed that the State machinery itself is already bulky and should be further streamlined.

From a certain perspective, it can be said the Ministry of Industry and Trade has scored success when seeking to popularize the biofuel E5, as consumption of this fuel has doubled or even tripled in the first few days since the prices of fuels were adjusted last week. The results – which can be likened to killing two birds with a stone – are encouraging as the biofuel has been widely accepted on the one hand, and several loss-making ethanol plants have now seen light at the end of the tunnel and revived production on the other. Fuel traders are happy as well, so to say.

It is not a week without major happenings but the key topic mainstreamed in local media over the past few days is not a special event, but a review of pains and gains of the year. Numerous media organizations have recalled outstanding events or issues of the country in the past 12 months, and introduced their own selections of the ten most significant socio-economic developments.

When the Ministry of Industry and Trade early this week referred the Khaisilk case to the Ministry of Public Security for criminal investigation alongside findings from a weeks-long inspection, a gloomy picture has been unveiled. There has existed, for long, not just a trail, but a dirty silk road.

When the Ministry of Industry and Trade convened an ad-hoc press conference last Thursday to explain the power price hike, not only journalists attending the event but also the public were stunned. It is not the increase - the average power tariff rising 6.08% to VND1,720.65 per kWh exclusive of tax – but rather the abrupt price change being announced on such short notice that wildly frustrates electricity users.

The news has spread fast, leaving the society in all-out shock when it becomes known that three babysitters at a preschool facility named Mam Xanh in HCMC’s District 12 have cruelly abused little kids aged from two to six. Images shown in a video posted on Tuoi Tre Online early this week fuel widespread indignation when the three babysitters are seen beating the children, using available tools at hand such as towels, plastic cans, slippers and large spoons. Some kids are tossed, kicked in the body or the head, slapped in the face, or even threatened with a knife.

Signs of cheating by a property broker named Alibaba have surfaced for over two months, but responses from State management agencies and law enforcement bodies have not been matching the extent of the company’s fishy business, as covered in local media. Now, all relevant agencies have stepped in, but much of the reaction from authorities, to date, has been limited to warnings, although losses and damages have been inflicted.

Questions and suspicions are awash when the Ministry of Education and Training last week put forth a scheme for improving the quality of lecturers at higher education institutions, the key component of which is to have an additional 9,000 holders of doctorate degrees between now and 2025. In explanations, the ministry states that the scheme is aimed to enhance the quality of education so as to improve the human resource meeting the economy’s greater demands during the new era of globalization when competition is tougher.

Early warnings of the approaching Tropical Storm Damrey, the 12th storm which struck the country this year, were repeatedly issued, orders given by authorities, and forces mobilized to cope with the ferocious storm, but the consequences are still highly damaging, sinking the public heart and conscience. Five days after the storm made landfall in south-central Vietnam last Saturday, the entire society is still reeling from the trail of massive devastation, as the natural calamity has killed as many as 89, while 18 others remain missing.

In the business world, trust is always the most valuable asset for companies to grow. Many enterprises in Vietnam seem to ignore this, though. Khaisilk, a high-end silk brand which has been in existence for more than 30 years, is among those enterprises as it has turned its back on its customers by resorting to malpractices.

A huge waste of financial resources is looming large as three condo buildings in Hanoi’s Long Bien District may be demolished following a proposal by the project owner. The three buildings, with 150 apartment units in total, have been left unoccupied for around 10 years, as people affected by a road project refused to take over the resettlement condos on the ground that such housing units were not suitable for them.